A system transmission power test system for active phased array radar

Abstract

The present application discloses a system transmission power test system for an active phased array radar, which relates to the field of active phased array radar. The system uses a test host to control all transceiver channels in the transceiver component that have completed phase balancing to simultaneously generate pulse transmission signals according to the same period and parameters. The calibration network synthesizes the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels into a system transmission power signal and outputs it to the test host. The system transmission power test can be completed by using the transmission signal of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode and the system transmission power signal. The system innovatively uses an internal calibration network to solve the power testing problem after the transmission signals of multiple transceiver channels are spatially synthesized, and can realize automated system transmission power testing and avoid the influence of cables between the transceiver component calibration networks. The system transmission power test can be completed quickly and efficiently, and accurate and reliable test results can be obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of active phased array radar, and in particular to a system transmission power test system for an active phased array radar. Background Art

[0002] Active phased array radar adopts a distributed transceiver system, which has the characteristics of high reliability, strong reconfiguration, and flexible expansion. It is the mainstream direction of radar development today.

[0003] Because active phased array radar transmitters are distributed, it's difficult to directly and effectively test the transmit power of the entire system, as with centralized radars. Traditional testing methods can only measure the transmit power of a single channel and then deduce the transmit power of the entire system based on the number of channels. This traditional testing method requires wiring, controlling, and measuring the transmit power of each transmit and receive channel one by one. As the number of channels increases, testing becomes cumbersome and time-consuming. Furthermore, the resulting system transmit power often exhibits significant deviations and is inaccurate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the above-mentioned problems and technical requirements, this application proposes a system transmit power test system for active phased array radar. The technical solution of this application is as follows:

[0005] A system transmission power test system for an active phased array radar, comprising a transceiver component of the active phased array radar, a calibration network, an antenna, and a test host, wherein the transceiver component comprises a plurality of independent transceiver channels;

[0006] The test host controls all the transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly that have completed phase trimming to generate pulse transmission signals simultaneously according to the same period and parameters;

[0007] The calibration network outputs the pulse transmission signal of each transceiver channel to the antenna, and synthesizes the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels into a system transmission power signal and outputs it to the test host;

[0008] The test host determines the system transmit power according to the amplitude information A2 of the system transmit power signal, the amplitude information A1 of the transmit signal of the reference transceiver channel in the single-channel mode, and the transmit power P1;

[0009] The reference transceiver channel is any transceiver channel in the transceiver component.

[0010] A further technical solution is that determining the system transmit power includes:

[0011] The system transmission power is determined based on the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal, the amplitude information A1 and transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode, and the coupling degree Coup of the calibration network. The coupling degree Coup of the calibration network indicates the attenuation of the transmission signal of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode from the calibration network to the test host.

[0012] A further technical solution is that the system transmission power P2 = A2 - A1 + P1 + Coup.

[0013] A further technical solution is that the method for the system transmission power test system to complete the phase balance of all transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly includes:

[0014] The test host controls each transceiver channel of the transceiver component to work in single-channel mode in turn and generate transmission signals according to the same cycle and parameters;

[0015] The calibration network outputs the transmission signal of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode to the antenna and couples it to the test host at the same time;

[0016] The test host completes the phase balancing of all transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly according to the phase information of each transceiver channel in the single-channel mode.

[0017] A further technical solution is to complete the phase balancing of all transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly, including:

[0018] A phase trimming table is obtained based on the phase information of the reference transceiver channel, the phase difference between the phase information of each other transceiver channel and the phase information of the reference transceiver channel is determined, and each transceiver channel is controlled to perform phase trimming according to the corresponding phase difference.

[0019] Its further technical solution is that the test host includes a monitoring component, a signal processing module and a display and control computer connected in sequence, the monitoring component is used to connect to the calibration network, the monitoring component includes a receiving processing channel and a power meter, the test host determines the phase information of each transceiver channel in the single-channel mode, the amplitude information A1 of the reference transceiver channel in the single-channel mode and the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal based on the receiving processing channel, and the test host measures the transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in the single-channel mode based on the power meter.

[0020] A further technical solution is that the monitoring component further includes a single-pole double-throw switch, a fixed end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the input end of the monitoring component and connected to the calibration network, a first active end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the signal processing module via a receiving processing channel, a second active end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the signal processing module via a power meter, and a display and control computer is connected to and controls the single-pole double-throw switch;

[0021] The receiving and processing channel processes the signal transmitted by the calibration network to generate a corresponding intermediate frequency signal and transmits it to the signal processing module. The signal processing module is used to process the received intermediate frequency signal to generate corresponding amplitude information and phase information; alternatively, the power meter measures the transmission power of the signal transmitted by the calibration network and forwards it to the display and control computer via the signal processing module.

[0022] Its further technical solution is that the working process of the system transmission power test system includes:

[0023] The display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end and sequentially determines amplitude information and phase information of each transceiver channel in a single-channel mode;

[0024] The display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end and determines the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal;

[0025] The display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the second active end, and controls the reference transceiver channel to generate a transmission signal in a single-channel mode to determine the transmission power P1.

[0026] A further technical solution is that the system transmission power test system also includes a frequency synthesis component, and the frequency synthesis component is used to provide a local oscillator signal to the system transmission power test system.

[0027] A further technical solution is that the coupling degree of the calibration network is Coup=40dB.

[0028] The beneficial technical effects of this application are:

[0029] This application discloses a system transmit power test system for active phased array radars. The system's structure and control method enable direct testing of system transmit power. The innovative use of an internal calibration network solves the power testing challenge of spatially synthesizing transmit signals from multiple transceiver channels. This automated system transmit power test is independent of the number of transceiver channels and the site conditions, enabling rapid and efficient completion of system transmit power testing. Furthermore, the system performs power calibration at the input of the monitoring component, avoiding the influence of cables between the transceiver components and the calibration network, ensuring accurate and reliable test results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 This is a system structure diagram of a system transmission power test system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a system transmission power testing method executed by a display and control computer in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The specific implementation of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] This application discloses a system transmission power test system for active phased array radar, please refer to Figure 1 The system structure diagram of the system transmission power test system shown in the figure is composed of the active phased array radar transceiver component, calibration network, antenna and test host. The transceiver component includes multiple independent transceiver channels, typically including 64 transceiver channels. Figure 1 Taking this as an example, the transceiver channels 1 to 64 are shown respectively. The test host connects and controls the operation of the transceiver components.

[0034] Each transceiver channel in the transceiver assembly is connected to the antenna and the test host via a calibration network. The calibration network is used to output the transmit signal generated by the transceiver assembly to the antenna and simultaneously couple it to the test host. In one embodiment, the test host includes a monitoring assembly, a signal processing module, and a display and control computer, which are connected in sequence. The monitoring assembly is connected to the output of the calibration network, and the display and control computer is connected to and controls the operation of each transceiver channel in the transceiver assembly. The display and control computer is the core control component, and all subsequent control-related operations of the test host are performed by the display and control computer.

[0035] In this application, the test host needs to obtain the phase information, amplitude information and transmission power of the transmission signal of the transceiver channel. In order to obtain these signals, the monitoring component includes a receiving processing channel and a power meter. The test host determines the relevant phase information and amplitude information based on the receiving processing channel, and the test host measures the relevant transmission power based on the power meter.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 In one embodiment, the monitoring assembly further includes a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch K. The fixed end of the SPDT switch K is connected to the input end of the monitoring assembly and to the calibration network. The first active end of the SPDT switch K is connected to the signal processing module via a receiving processing channel, and the second active end of the SPDT switch K is connected to the signal processing module via a power meter. The display and control computer connects to and controls the switching of the SPDT switch K. When switched to the first active end, the calibration network is connected to the receiving processing channel. The receiving processing channel processes the signal transmitted by the calibration network to generate a corresponding intermediate frequency signal and transmits it to the signal processing module. The signal processing module is responsible for processing the received intermediate frequency signal to generate corresponding amplitude and phase information. Alternatively, when switched to the second active end, the calibration network is connected to the power meter. The power meter measures the transmission power of the signal transmitted by the calibration network and forwards it to the display and control computer via the signal processing module.

[0037] In addition, the system transmission power test system also includes a frequency synthesis component, which is used to provide local oscillator signals to various components in the system transmission power test system. Figure 1 Not shown.

[0038] The working process of the system transmission power test system is as follows:

[0039] Step 1: The test host controls all the transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly that have completed phase trimming to simultaneously generate pulse transmission signals according to the same period and parameters.

[0040] Since the active phased array radar will spatially synthesize the transmission signals of multiple transceiver channels during actual operation, it is necessary to ensure that the phases of the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels are consistent. Therefore, it is usually necessary to first complete the phase balancing operation of all transceiver channels of the transceiver component, including:

[0041] (1) The test host controls each transceiver channel of the transceiver component to work in single-channel mode in turn and generate transmission signals according to the same period and parameters.

[0042] (2) The calibration network outputs the transmission signal of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode to the antenna and couples it to the test host at the same time.

[0043] The above steps (1) and (2) are completed when the display control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end, thereby determining the amplitude information and phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode in turn. The actual operation process is, please refer to Figure 2 A flowchart of a method executed by a display and control computer. After the display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to the first active end, the parameter i=1 is initialized, the i-th transceiver channel is controlled to operate in single-channel mode and generate a transmit signal, the calibration network couples the transmit signal of the i-th transceiver channel in single-channel mode to the receive processing channel, the receive processing channel processes the transmit signal of the i-th transceiver channel to generate a corresponding intermediate frequency signal and transmits it to the signal processing module, the signal processing module generates amplitude information and phase information of the transmit signal of the i-th transceiver channel in single-channel mode and transmits it to the display and control computer. When i<N, i=i+1 and the steps of controlling the i-th transceiver channel to operate in single-channel mode and generate a transmit signal are executed again, and the above process is repeated. When i=N, it indicates that traversal control has been completed for all transceiver channels, thereby obtaining the amplitude information and phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode. N is the number of transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly.

[0044] (3) The test host completes phase trimming of all transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly based on the phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode. This includes obtaining a phase trimming table based on the phase information of the reference transceiver channel, determining the phase difference between the phase information of each other transceiver channel and the phase information of the reference transceiver channel, and controlling each transceiver channel to perform phase trimming according to the corresponding phase difference.

[0045] The base transceiver channel is any transceiver channel in the transceiver component, which can be customized. For example, the base transceiver channel is Figure 1 When the transceiver channel 1 is in the control mode, the other transceiver channels 2 to 64 are controlled to perform phase balancing according to their respective phase differences with the transceiver channel 1.

[0046] Step 2: The calibration network outputs the pulse transmission signal of each transceiver channel to the antenna, and synthesizes the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels into a system transmission power signal and outputs it to the test host.

[0047] Since all transceiver channels generate pulse transmission signals at the same time and the phases of all transceiver channels have been balanced, the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels will be synthesized in the calibration network, which is the system transmission power signal.

[0048] This step is completed when the display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end. The system transmission power signal output by the calibration network is output to the receiving and processing channel. The receiving and processing channel processes the system transmission power signal to generate a corresponding intermediate frequency signal and transmits it to the signal processing module. The signal processing module generates the amplitude information A2 and phase information of the system transmission power signal and transmits it to the display and control computer, so that the display and control computer can determine the amplitude information A2 and phase information of the system transmission power signal.

[0049] Step 3: The test host determines the system transmit power according to the amplitude information A2 of the system transmit power signal, the amplitude information A1 of the transmit signal of the reference transceiver channel in the single-channel mode, and the transmit power P1.

[0050] The amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal required for this step has been determined in step 2, and the amplitude information A1 of the transmission signal of the quasi-transceiver channel in single-channel mode has been determined in step 1. Therefore, it is actually necessary to determine the transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode. Figure 1The structure of this monitoring component, the method for determining the transmission power P1 includes: the display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the second active end, and then controls the reference transceiver channel to generate a transmission signal in single-channel mode, the calibration network couples the transmission signal of the reference transceiver channel to the power meter, the power meter measures the transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode and forwards it to the display and control computer via the signal processing module. It should be noted that since the single-pole double-throw switch needs to be kept at the first active end to determine the amplitude information and phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode and to determine the amplitude information of the system transmission power signal processing, it is generally necessary to switch to the second active end after executing the above process to determine the transmission power P1, so as to avoid switching the single-pole double-throw switch back and forth, but there is actually no specific requirement for the execution order. Figure 2 Take this as an example.

[0051] In one embodiment, the coupling degree Coup of the calibration network is also considered to correct the system transmission power. The system transmission power is determined based on the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal, the amplitude information A1 and transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode, and the coupling degree Coup of the calibration network.

[0052] Specifically, the system transmission power P2=A2-A1+P1+Coup.

[0053] The calibration network's coupling (Coup) indicates the attenuation of each transceiver channel's transmitted signal from the calibration network to the test host in single-channel mode. This means that the transmitted signal from a single transceiver channel is attenuated by a factor of Coup before entering the monitoring component. This prevents the monitoring component from being damaged by high-power transmitted signals, improving test safety and reliability. A typical calibration network coupling (Coup) is 40dB.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. It is understood that other improvements and variations directly derived or imagined by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and concept of the present application should be considered to be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A system transmission power test system for active phased array radar, characterized in that: The system transmission power test system includes a transceiver component of an active phased array radar, a calibration network, an antenna, and a test host. The transceiver component includes multiple independent transceiver channels. The test host controls all the transceiver channels in the transceiver assembly that have completed phase trimming to simultaneously generate pulse transmission signals according to the same period and parameters; The calibration network outputs the pulse transmission signal of each transceiver channel to the antenna, and synthesizes the pulse transmission signals of all transceiver channels into a system transmission power signal and outputs it to the test host; The test host determines the system transmission power as P2=A2-A1+P1+Coup based on the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal, the amplitude information A1 and the transmission power P1 of the transmission signal of the reference transceiver channel in the single-channel mode, and the coupling degree Coup of the calibration network. The coupling degree Coup of the calibration network indicates the attenuation of the transmission signal of each transceiver channel in the single-channel mode from the calibration network to the test host; Wherein, the reference transceiver channel is any transceiver channel in the transceiver component; The method for the system transmission power test system to complete the phase balancing of all transceiver channels in the transceiver component includes: the test host controls each transceiver channel of the transceiver component to operate in single-channel mode in turn and generate a transmission signal according to the same period and parameters, the calibration network outputs the transmission signal of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode to the antenna and is coupled to the test host at the same time, and the test host completes the phase balancing of all transceiver channels in the transceiver component according to the phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode, including obtaining a phase balancing table based on the phase information of a reference transceiver channel, determining the phase difference between the phase information of each other transceiver channel and the phase information of the reference transceiver channel, and controlling each transceiver channel to perform phase balancing according to the corresponding phase difference.

2. The system transmission power test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test host includes a monitoring component, a signal processing module and a display and control computer connected in sequence. The monitoring component is used to connect to the calibration network. The monitoring component includes a receiving and processing channel and a power meter. The test host determines the phase information of each transceiver channel in single-channel mode, the amplitude information A1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode, and the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal based on the receiving and processing channel. The test host measures the transmission power P1 of the reference transceiver channel in single-channel mode based on the power meter.

3. The system transmission power test system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The monitoring component further includes a single-pole double-throw switch, a fixed end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the input end of the monitoring component and connected to the calibration network, a first active end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the signal processing module via a receiving processing channel, and a second active end of the single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the signal processing module via a power meter, and the display and control computer is connected to and controls the single-pole double-throw switch; The receiving and processing channel processes the signal transmitted by the calibration network to generate a corresponding intermediate frequency signal and transmits it to the signal processing module. The signal processing module is used to process the received intermediate frequency signal to generate corresponding amplitude information and phase information; alternatively, the power meter measures the transmission power of the signal transmitted by the calibration network and forwards it to the display and control computer via the signal processing module.

4. The system transmission power test system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The working process of the system transmission power test system includes: The display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end and sequentially determines the amplitude information and phase information of each transceiver channel in a single-channel mode; The display and control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the first active end and determines the amplitude information A2 of the system transmission power signal; The display control computer controls the single-pole double-throw switch to remain closed at the second active end, and controls the reference transceiver channel to generate a transmission signal in a single-channel mode to determine the transmission power P1.

5. The system transmission power test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system transmission power test system further includes a frequency synthesis component, and the frequency synthesis component is used to provide a local oscillator signal to the system transmission power test system.

6. The system transmission power test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coupling degree of the calibration network is Coup=40dB.

Images